16/12/2013 BBC Wales Today

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Good evening. In a major blow to the economy in Northeast Wales, the

electronics manufacturer Sharp is to end production of solar panels at

its factory near Wrexham. 250 workers are being made redundant. A

further 365 agency staff will lose their jobs. The company says it

can't continue to build solar panels at the site because of the costs

involved. Here's our business correspondent Brian Meechan. It has

been providing good well-paid jobs to the Wrexham area for almost 30

years. They started off building microwaves. That business will

remain at the site. Next year would have been a decade since they began

producing solar panels. The company announced it would cease production

in February. Over 600 people will lose their jobs. They have been here

for almost four decades. It will have a huge impact on families and

Wrexham itself. Solar panels had been fitted in various locations

from council houses and Wrexham to the Eden Project in Cornwall. The

company says it can not continue to Manufacturer them in Wales for cost

reasons. We support the Welsh supply chain and if we install them

domestically on a house, Welsh homeowners will support panels made

in Wales. Most of what we do is tailored for the commercial market

and that is very sensitive. This is very location that a commercial

client with specified they will pay a premium for Welsh panels. The

company will be seeking voluntary redundancies. This is terrible news.

650 families affected just before Christmas. At any time of year it

would be a huge blow, but it comes following the announcement by first

milk. We have to pull together. The Welsh Government will have to do

what it can to see whether we can all -- develop alternative lines for

production here. It could not be those names as workers face an

uncertain future. Let's talk to the MP for Wrexham,

Ian Lucas. He joins us now from Westminster. Ian Lucas, your

reaction to this news. It is terrible news for Wrexham ethically

for those just before Christmas. It is a black day for the town. They

have worked so hard. Why has this happened? I think there are a number

of factors involved. There has been demand -- a deduction on demand

across Europe and there has been a deduction in domestic demand. You

mentioned that council houses and Wrexham are fitted with solar panels

put up with a grateful for this book for that. The extension across

social housing has been produced by the government. We also heard a lot

of loose talk about renewable energy policy which make it very difficult

when you are fighting for investment in a globalised economy to bring in

national companies to Britain. We have seen other companies go. We

fought very hard ten years ago for this production. The company will

disagree with your analysis. They say many of the panels are shipped

to Japan. Production is simply moving closer to where they are

sold. The reason they are being shipped to Japan is because of the

collapse in the European market. The original investment was to feed the

European market. This was a production line which was expanding

up until 2010. We have had a few thousand people working on the

production line and Wrexham. The reduction in the workforce that has

taken place in the last two years is to to international factors but also

to domestic government policy as well. There is confusion about

renewable energy policy. It is a valuable resource for jobs. We are

desperately sad to be losing them today. What about the prospect for

hundreds of families? It is very difficult. I will do my utmost with

companies who are staying and Wrexham, they will be at retaining

their microwave production the top this day could have been even

blacker because they could have withdrawn from Wrexham entirely. We

will fight to bring new products to Wrexham. We got new products in

2004. We will try to do that again. The company have made a clear

statement tonight. This is quite simply about the product being sold

in greater numbers in Japan. Production is simply moving closer

to where it is sold in greater numbers because it is a cheaper way

of doing business. It is about the market isn't it? The company has

said to us that over the last year, almost all of these products have

been sold in Japan and it does not make economic sense to manufacture

solar panels relatively extensively in Wales when you are then sending

them over to Japan. There are various other places in Asia which

you could manufacture. China being the classic examples of you could do

it much cheaper and you would not have the transportation cost. It is

the rise in the Japanese market as well. These are hundreds of highly

skilled manufacturing jobs. What does it say about the state of the

Welsh economy? They are very well-paid jobs. The company has a 30

year relationship with Wrexham. The global market is as it is. It is

cheaper in many ways to manufacture goods in some other countries and it

is difficult to compete with that unless you can upscale and provide

skills you cannot get anywhere else. Or you can manufacture goods that

you cannot manufacture elsewhere. We had the Federation of small

businesses this morning talking about household businesses taking on

workers and we had the biggest recruitment agency in with talking

about how workers are being taken on in the construction industry. A

quick statement tonight. It is they trigger the closure. It is of great

sadness to the company. That statement from DEC. Now the rest of

the names. -- news. Mark Bridger, the man convicted of

murdering April Jones, is seeking leave to appeal against the severity

of his sentence. In May a judge told him he'd spend the rest of his life

in prison after he was found guilty of abducting and murdering the five

year old. He's never said what happened to her body. April Jones

went missing from outside her home in Machynlleth in October last year.

The pink ribbon tied to railings at the centre of town for the second

Christmas since her disappearance. The little girl has not been

forgotten here. In the months since the trial, the town is trying to

move on. I hope they do not grant him that. The tragedy still affect

everyone. They do not want to see him released. It is a horrendous

crime. He deserves to stay there for the full sentence. April Jones was

five when she went missing in October last year. Throughout his

trial, Mark Bridger denied murdering her that he said he did accidentally

kill her when he ran her over the top he never said what happened to

her body. In passing sentence the judge told him he was a glib liar

and a paedophile who have both sexual and morbid fantasies about

young girls. The judge jailed Mark Bridger for the rest of his life.

What the evidence show an act of pure evil was committed to stop only

backbencher knows the extent of that evil and he should look within

himself for continuing to cause this trauma for all the people of the

area but particularly the people most affected. Hull life sentences

and legally contentious. Others have successfully had their sentences

overturned on human rights grounds. He will be arguing that he should

have the right to appeal. The Mark Bridger, the start of another legal

process. We do not know how it will turn out. For the town, another

barrier to move on. A mine manager has pleaded not

guilty to manslaughter over the deaths of four miners at the

Gleision Colliery. Malcolm Fyfield, on the left of your picture, was

manager of the drift mine in the Swansea Valley when it flooded in

September 2011. The company who operated it, MNS Mining, also

pleaded not guilty to corporate manslaughter charges at the hearing

at Swansea Crown Court. A woman who has admitted trafficking

crystal meth into Indonesia could be given a 16-year jail sentence.

Andrea Waldeck, originally from Talgarth in Powys, had faced a

possible death sentence, but prosecutors have called for a jail

term and a 200,000-dollar fine. The former police community support

officer had been working for Gloucestershire Police until

February last year. The latest developments in Welsh

rugby now. Here's Claire. Good evening. It's been a busy day

at the home of welsh rugby with a series of meetings and one big

announcement. Wales coach Warren Gatland has signed a contract

extension that will keep him in charge of the national side until

the 2019 Rugby World Cup. But rumbling below the surface, the gap

between the Welsh Rugby Union and the regions seems to be wider than

ever. The regions have called for an independent public inquiry into

their funding. Gareth Lewis has been following the day's developments.

The award to keep coming from Warren Gatland. Coach of the year last

night and now he will become the first man to take Wales to three

world cups. For me, it was a big decision to want to continue but

hopefully what we have created. How many international players will be

playing in 2015 remains to be seen. Richard Hibbard became the latest to

leave. He will be at Gloucester next season. Warren Gatland said the

current uncertainty is affecting his players. A couple of performances in

the game against Australia were below par as a result of this was up

there was a lot going on in the players minds about their future and

the uncertainty over contracts. The legions called for an independent

enquiry into the way they are funded. They do not believe they get

a third and a slice of the cash. In private, the union pointed out the

legions have a seat on that board. The legions are still holding back

from training a new agreement with the Welsh Rugby union. They argue it

does not provide enough funding when wages are rising. If they do not

signed by New Year's Eve, the Welsh Rugby union could stop their

funding. In public, the union is saying very little. As you know, I

have always been an optimist. The glass is always half full and it

always solutions to be achieved. That has always been my position. It

is the battle for hearts and minds as the deadline approaches. The

union has been meeting fans groups this afternoon and is meeting the

players union this evening. Ashleigh Crowter is outside the

Millennium for us tonight. A day of comings and goings and another

meeting just finished? Yes, a meeting has just finished and that

is a meeting taking place as we meet. That is a lot to lose if this

dispute cannot be sorted out. Over half an hour ago, we saw a

delegation of regional rugby layers making their way in and among them

some senior internationals. I think the players feel they have not had

direct communication about the current dispute between the union

and the legions. They wanted to hear first-hand with things like. This

could have a major effect on their futures. Fans also had a meeting and

they have just left. They will go away and discuss between themselves

what happened tonight. We expect a statement tomorrow morning.

I'll have more on the rest of the day's sport a little later.

Much more to come before seven o'clock.

A discordant note for some Welsh musicians. They lose their royalties

battle for higher payment with the BBC.

We're backstage on the set of the latest Hobbit film with one of

Hollywood's rising stars. Our supermarkets operate seven days

a week and now our top doctors may be called on to do the same. The

Welsh Government says it is looking at strengthening arrangements for

consultants to work at the weekend. The expert who's been tasked with

examining the idea for the Government says it is a radical

change with potential to help. Currently according to research

you're more likely to die if you are admitted to hospital on a Sunday

than in the week. They already have emergency care seven days a week in

Newport. In other parts of Wales, who were consultants work at

weekends. It is because their contract that run up individually

and depend on their speciality and which has board employs them.

Russell Hopkins has seen the issue from both sides and that the current

situation is endangering patients. A former consultant himself, when he

had a hip operation, congregations meant he was left with bladder and

nerve damage and he did not see a consultant for four days. On a big

case, I would pop in to see the patient and calm in the next day to

see that everything was well. The European working time directive has

changed things. Consultant contract have changed. The whole system has

changed that it has endangered patients by doing so. The latest

figures show why that is cause for concern. Hospital death rate on a

Wednesday are under 5.5% for the bed eyes and weekend and stand up more

than 6% at -- on Sunday. The government said some change will be

needed and it is looking to strengthen arrangements was up the

British Medical Association believes the case has been made for change

but says it must be backed with money. We are talking about having

more consultant present at the weekend and the BMA is fully in

support of that. But without having more consultant, it will mean

consultant and not working during the week as much. If you view of

services in England has advised that senior doctors and key diagnostic

tests are available seven days a week. It is envisaged that these

plans could be applied to unscheduled care within the years.

Anyways, that is growing that change must come. The Royal College of

physicians once what is happening here in Newport to be adopted across

the UK. An agency representing hundreds of

Welsh language musicians has lost its bid to secure an annual payment

of ?1.5 million from the BBC. Eos has been in dispute with the

Corporation over the amount of royalty fees that are paid when a

Welsh language artist is broadcast on radio and television. The

copyright tribunal has told the BBC to pay Eos ?100,000 a year. Our arts

and media correspondent Huw Thomas reports.

Just one of the hundreds of artists whose music is played on Roger

Cumbria every week. The disagreement between the BBC and EOS has rumbled

on for more than a year for stop. ?100,000 is significantly lower than

what union members had hoped for. The legal team argued the music it

controls was worth more than ten times that and asked for ?1.5

million a year. The BBC wanted to pay no more than ?100,000. At the

beginning of this year as part of the dispute, EOS stopped the latest

edition from playing any of its music. We will fully comply to the

ruling and we will start negotiating again with the union to reach a full

and final settlement with them. Our focus will be providing a full

service for listeners. EOS said it will have to consult its members and

will hold an emergency meeting within weeks. Today's decision is

binding and this set until the end of 2015.

Denbighshire Council has hit back at the company which runs three of its

leisure facilities after it blamed the local authority for its poor

financial state. Clwyd Leisure said it may have to close swimming pools

in Rhyl and Prestatyn resulting in more than 70 job losses. But the

council says none of its services are immune to cuts. Aber an leisure

services has been saving something in the region of ?100,000 per year

over the last six years whereas the corresponding figure for Clwyd

Leisure has been ?50,000 over the same period. They have not been

targeted in any way with the subsidy reduction.

The rest of the day's sport now and Swansea City will face Napoli in the

last 32 of the Europa League. The Italian side who are managed by

former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez narrowly failed to

progress in the Champions League. The Swans will be at home in the

first leg on February 20. Meanwhile, the club are waiting for an update

on Nathan Dyer's ankle injury. The 26-year-old scored in their 1-1 draw

with Norwich yesterday but left the pitch on a stretcher after injuring

his foot in a tackle. Initial scans have shown no obvious break.

Olympic Champion Jade Jones has won silver at the World Taekwondo Grand

Prix in Manchester. The 20-year-old from Flint thought she had won the

final with a late head-kick, but officials ignored her appeal. Jade

says after a tough year of injuries and falling out of love with the

sport, it's good to have some more success.

She did say she was fully focused on real -- Andrea De Ginola in 2016. --

aren't going to Brazil in 2016. And finally, congratulations to

Wales full back Leigh Halfpenny. After winning the Welsh vote last

week, he finished second to Andy Murray last night in the race to be

named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The Lions were also named team

of the year. He left home at the age of 16 to

persue an acting career. Now Luke Evans is one of Hollywood's rising

stars. His latest film, the second in director Peter Jackson's Hobbit

trilogy, looks set to be one the hits of the year. Today, the actor

returned to his old stomping ground of Bargoed near Caerphilly to share

his adventures in the movie business. Carwyn Jones went along.

It has already made 74 million dollars in the US box office and

that is just in the opening weekend. The second instalment in the Hobbit

trilogy has been one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the

year. You must listen. Luke Evans plays a heroic archer and that is a

Welsh accent. You have no right to enter that mountain. The producers

heard an interview with me and they thought it would be interesting to

try the character with a Welsh accent. The Welsh accent has now

become part of the legacy. He left school at 16 to try his hand at

acting. He found himself back in the classroom today. He gave a

masterclass to pupils from the film club. Topics ranged from slaying

dragons to possible future roles. I would probably like to play James

Bond. That is the final instalment of the Hobbit trilogy. It has

provided a role of a lifetime. From Middle Earth to meteorology.

Here's Derek. There is more strong wind and heavy

rain on the way later this week but tomorrow the best day of the week!

Most places dry. Sunshine and light winds but watch out for fog patches.

This evening a little rain in the south and southeast. Elsewhere dry.

The cloud clearing after midnight and turning quite cold. Temperatures

inland falling close to freezing with a widespread slight frost. Mist

and fog patches forming as well. Tomorrow, we're in between weather

fronts. One lying through the English Channel. These fronts over

the Atlantic will reach us on Wednesday. Here's the picture for

eight in the morning. Cold but a fine and bright start for most of us

but not everywhere. Watch out for fog patches if you're travelling.

These could be dense in places. Showers are possible in Bridgend and

the Vale of Glamorgan. Otherwise dry. Sunshine in Haverfordwest and

Aberystwyth. During the day, fog will slowly lift into low cloud but

may linger in the Marches all afternoon. Elsewhere some lovely

weather. Bright and dry with sunny spells. Temperatures will reach five

to nine Celsius. Cold where the fog lingers. The wind light but breezier

in the north and west. In Ceredigion tomorrow, a nice day. Dry with a

good deal of sunshine. Ideal for a walk on the coast. The temperature

in New Quay rising to seven Celsius. Tomorrow night dry. Some mist, fog

and ground frost in parts of Mid, North and East Wales. Windier and

less cold in the west with rain by the end of the night. On Wednesday,

rain will spread across the whole country. Some heavy rain too with

brisk southerly winds. Up to gale force in the west. Thursday

brighter, colder and less windy with showers. The showers wintry on

higher ground with a little snow on the mountains. Friday will start dry

but it won't last. Turning wet and windy during the afternoon and

evening. Make the most of the dry weather tomorrow and watch out for

fog patches! The headlines from the BBC. David Cameron has said it will

be showing accomplished when British forces leave Afghanistan next year

by helping to prevent the country from becoming a haven for terrorists

again. The other headlines, Sharp Electronics is to end production of

solar panels in Wrexham. 250 workers are to be made redundant. Other

agency staff will lose their jobs. I'll have an update for you here at

eight o'clock and after the BBC News at ten. That's Wales Today. Thank

you for watching. From all of us on the programme, good evening.